Fastener-driving tools for driving fasteners into substrates are of course well-known in the art. Such fastener driving tools conventionally comprise a magazine for holding a supply of nail-type fasteners, and a spring-biased follower mechanism or assembly for effectively engaging the trailing one of the nail-type fasteners disposed within the fastener magazine in order to normally bias the supply of nail-type fasteners in the forward direction toward a discharge path along which the leading one of the nail-type fasteners will be driven and discharged out from the fastener-driving tool. One type of follower mechanism or assembly that is known in the art is a bypass-type follower mechanism or assembly wherein the follower mechanism or assembly comprises a follower body which is normally spring-biased in the forward direction so as to, in turn, normally bias a supply of nail-type fasteners in the forward direction toward the discharge path along which the leading one of the nail-type fasteners will be driven and discharged out from the fastener-driving tool, and a follower claw which is normally spring-biased, around the pivotal axis of a pivot pin mounted upon the follower body, to a position at which the follower claw can engage the trailing one of the nail-type fasteners such that the follower mechanism or assembly can then bias the supply strip of nail-type fasteners in the forward direction under the influence of the biasing spring normally acting upon the follower body. The follower claw is thus able to be pivotally moved with respect to the plane within which the supply of nail-type fasteners is disposed.
Accordingly, when, for example, the fastener-driving tool has expended or substantially expended its supply of nail-type fasteners and needs to be replenished with a new supply of nail-type fasteners, the new supply of nail-type fasteners is able to be loaded into the rearward portion of the fastener-driving tool magazine while the follower mechanism or assembly is still disposed within the forward portion of the fastener-driving tool magazine. Subsequently, the follower mechanism or assembly is then able to be moved by an operator in the rearward direction, against the biasing force of the follower mechanism or assembly spring, whereby the pivotal mounting of the follower claw, upon the follower body, permits the follower claw to effectively skip or ratchet over the new supply of nail-type fasteners disposed within the fastener-driving tool magazine and thereby bypass the new supply of fasteners disposed within the fastener-driving tool magazine. When the follower mechanism or assembly has been moved sufficiently rearwardly so as to in fact be disposed behind the new supply of nail-type fasteners, the spring, which normally pivotally biases the follower claw toward the position at which the follower claw can engage the trailing one of the nail-type fasteners, now in fact pivotally biases or returns the follower claw to the position at which the follower claw can engage the trailing one of the nail-type fasteners whereupon the follower claw will in fact engage the trailing one of the nail-type fasteners when the entire follower mechanism or assembly is permitted to move slightly forwardly, under the influence of the follower mechanism or assembly spring, when the follower body is released by the operator. An example of such a bypass follower mechanism or assembly is disclosed within U.S. Pat. No. 6,592,014 which issued to Smolinski on Jul. 15, 2003.
Fastener-driving tools of the aforenoted type are also usually provided with, in effect, an internal operational lockout system or mechanism whereby when the follower assembly or mechanism is disposed at substantially the forward-most position within the magazine assembly of the fastener-driving tool, such as, for example, when only several fasteners remain within the magazine assembly of the fastener-driving tool, or alternatively, when the supply of fasteners has in fact been entirely depleted or removed from the magazine assembly, the fastener-driving tool will be prevented from firing and cycling. Sometimes, however, it is necessary to dry-cycle fire the fastener-driving tool, that is, to fire or cycle the fastener-driving tool when the fastener-driving tool does not contain any fasteners. The purpose of such dry-cycle firing of the fastener-driving tool is to ensure that the fastener-driving tool, and its various components, are in fact working properly after, for example, the fastener-driving has been idle for a substantial period of time, or has been subjected, for example, to substantially cold weather or environmental conditions. Under such circumstances, it is necessary for the operator to manually move the follower mechanism or assembly to a rearward position within the magazine assembly of the fastener-driving tool by means of one hand, and to hold the follower mechanism or assembly at such rearward position within the magazine assembly of the fastener-driving tool by the one hand in view of the fact that, otherwise, the spring-biasing mechanism, that normally operates upon or biases the follower mechanism or assembly in the forward direction, will tend to return the follower mechanism or assembly to the forwardmost position within the magazine assembly of the fastener-driving tool.
In this manner, the fastener-driving tool has effectively been “tricked” into believing that a new supply of nail-type fasteners has been installed within the magazine assembly of the fastener-driving tool, whereby the internal lockout mechanism or system of the fastener-driving tool will no longer prevent the operation of the fastener-driving tool even though the magazine assembly is completely devoid of fasteners. The operator may then dry-cycle fire the fastener-driving tool as a result of the manipulation of the fastener-driving tool by means of the other hand. Alternatively, it is sometimes necessary to manually work upon the fastener-driving-tool, in order to clear a fastener-jammed condition within the fastener-driving tool, when only several fasteners remain within the magazine assembly of the fastener-driving tool. Again, under such circumstances, the operator needs to retract the follower mechanism or assembly, within the magazine assembly, by means of one hand so as to dispose the follower mechanism or assembly at a rearward position within the magazine assembly while he attempts to clear the fastener-jammed condition within the fastener-driving tool with the other hand. As may readily be appreciated, this mode of operation is awkward and sometimes difficult to accomplish, thereby leading to increased production downtime, operator fatigue, and the like.
A need therefore exists in the art for a new and improved fastener-driving tool, and a new and improved nail-type follower mechanism or assembly, of the bypass type, incorporated within the fastener-driving tool wherein the follower claw of the follower mechanism or assembly of the fastener-driving tool will in fact be provided with a latching element or component so as to in fact enable the entire follower mechanism or assembly to effectively be retained at a latched position within the rearward section of the fastener-driving tool when, for example, the fastener-driving tool is to undergo a dry-cycle firing operation, or alternatively, when the operator is working upon the fastener-driving tool in order to rectify a fastener-jammed condition within the fastener-driving tool.